Camera-Snatching South Carolina Deputy Identified through Social Media

Carlos Miller

Jun 24, 2013

Camera-Snatching South Carolina Deputy Identified through Social Media

A South Carolina sheriff’s department is doing all it can to coverup for a deputy who was caught on video snatching a man’s camera from his hands last month.

First, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office refused to identify the deputy to a local news station after an initial inquiry.

Then, it told the news station that it would not investigate the incident until the victim filed a complaint.

Then, after the victim attempted to file a complaint via email, sheriff officials said they would only investigate if the victim came into the station to file the complaint, even though he lives two hours away in another state.

Next they would probably require him to do a headstand while rubbing his stomach in order to accept his complaint.

The victim in the case said he was shooting video of Darlington County deputies walking through an Indian Branch Road campground around 12:30 a.m. following the NASCAR race. The victim, who has asked that WIS not reveal his identity, was confronted by a man Darlington County Sheriff’s Captain Andy Locklair identified as Sterling “Chad” Poston. The video shows the victim standing several yards away from the officers when Poston shines his flashlight at the victim and approaches him.“Do you want to go to jail,” Poston is heard asking the victim on the video, “I’m sorry,” the victim is heard responding. The recording shows Poston ask the victim the same question again when the victim says Poston “ripped” the phone from him and “shoved him.”WIS emailed Captain Locklair the video that contained the allegations of assault, requesting an update on the case and the deputy’s identity. In an emailed statement from Captain Locklair—which also included Sheriff Wayne Byrd’s email address—Locklair told WIS his agency would not investigate the incident until the victim in the case filed a complaint,Locklair did not answer questions of the deputy’s identity in our initial email. Locklair did confirm Poston’s identity after several WIS viewers provided the deputy name after we posted the video and picture of the victim’s video on Facebook and Twitter. Multiple sources identified the deputy as Chad Poston. Locklair confirmed the deputy’s identity four days later.

But thanks to WIS-TV’s persistence on this matter, the deputy was identified as Sterling “Chad” Poston after the station posted the video on Facebook and Twitter, asking viewers for help in identifying him.